This invention relates generally to sports ball striking practice devices, and more specifically to a striking practice device having a tether, a rigid or semi-rigid sleeve and ball insert assembly for holding a replaceable sports ball which may be struck repeatedly as the tether wraps and unwraps around a pole or a similar substantially vertical object.
Practice devices for improving one""s ability to strike balls are popular in the United States and throughout the world. These devices allow the user to practice without the help of another person by presenting the ball to the user for repeated striking. A variety of practice devices have been designed to hold balls of specific sports, including baseball, softball, tennis ball, hand ball, and racket ball with a striking instrument such as racket, bat stick, or one""s hand.
These devices typically consist of a specific sports ball attached to an end of a tether or tethers, with the tethers attached in various configurations to a fixed object, such as a pole structure which may include complex operating mechanisms. These practice devices typically do not duplicate the normal striking position of the user and do not provide a realistic flight of a ball as it approaches the user. In addition, the prior art practice devices are often complex to manufacture, too expensive for purchase by sports enthusiasts, and/or bulky, hardware intensive, and inconvenient to set up.
While most devices attempt to prevent the sports ball from wrapping around the support structure, a few devices are designed specifically for wrapping the ball around a vertical or a horizontal pole. The ball winds and unwinds to present the ball to the user for repeated striking. These devices are inexpensive and relatively easy to set up. An example of a typical prior art tether device that employs the winding and unwinding of a ball is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,828 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,385, both to Love. The batting practice devices of the Love patents use two non-elastic rope materials as tethers. The ball is suspended from a first tether attached to a horizontal bar. A second tether is attached to a vertical bar at one end and to the first tether at a second end. The attachment point to the first tether must be adjusted to the desired striking height of the ball. The second tether acts to restrict the motion of the ball to wrap around the vertical pole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,219 to McKeon et al. teaches a baseball batting practice using a first tethered rope attached to a horizontal bar at the upper end and attached to a ball at the lower end. A second tethered rope is spliced to the first tethered rope at a short distance above the ball, and is attached to a vertical bar to restrict lift of the ball. A sleeve extends from the ball to the splice to protect the tether. When a user hits the ball, it wraps around the vertical bar. The height of the ball is determined by the length of the first tether.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,075 to Hynes teaches the use of a first tether attached to a horizontal bar, and a second tether attached to a vertical bar. The ends of both tethers attach to the ball. The lengths of the tethers are minimized to restrict the amount of wrapping the occurs when the ball is hit. The ball height is adjusted by lowering or raising the horizontal bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,364 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,315, both to Ring, teach a portable horizontal bar that is attachable to an existing vertical pole. A ball is suspended from the horizontal bar by one or two tethers. When the ball is struck, the ball and tether(s) wrap around the horizontal bar. The ball height is controlled by the placement of the horizontal bar on the vertical pole.
The Baseball Striking Practice Device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,582 to Minniear (the ""582 patent) includes significant improvements over patented devices as described above. The ""582 patent features a practice ball slidably located upon a tether. The tether ends are attachable to a vertical pole or other similar support structure. The ball is slidably mounted to the tether and is positioned at a target position for striking by means of a ball positioner. The ball positioner is located on the tether in a fixed position that is either adjustable or permanent. Once struck during use, the practice ball and attached tether wrap around the support structure. The practice ball is aided in the return to the target position by forming the tether from elastic material which naturally biases the ball to unwind from the support structure for subsequent strike. The ball positioner of one embodiment disclosed in the ""582 patent is a material swag which allows the ball to be adjusted to a desired height.
The prior art tether devices in which the ball is attached to one or two tethers presents disadvantages to a user. All of the above mentioned prior art devices do not provide for off-center, i.e., inaccurate hits. If a user mishits a ball, or misses the ball completely, the striking instrument is likely to make contact with one or both of the tethers. The hit to the tether results in the striking instrument becoming entangled in the tether, and a xe2x80x9cdeadxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwildxe2x80x9d ball that is dangerous or difficult to hit. The user must then catch the ball, reposition himself or herself, and reset the ball in motion. Thus, the striking practice is frustrating to the user and tedious to use.
Height adjustability is necessary for proper striking practice. The user may desire striking practice at varying heights. The prior art devices, with the exception of the ""582 patent, do not provide convenient means for adjusting the ball after an initial adjustment. Although the material swag of the ""582 provides easy adjustment of the ball, the material swag is likely to slip along the tether after repeated strikes of the ball causing a changing height of the ball.
The prior art striking practice devices typically require horizontal and vertical bars, attachment devices, and special tethering. These practice devices do not provide for replacement of any of the device components. The striking training devices currently available to the public eventually wear out, e.g., the ball begins to loose its shape, or the tether breaks. Once a component is not usable, the entire practice device must be replaced since, for example, the tethers are permanently attached to a strap or collar used for attachment of the device to the vertical supporting structure.
In view of the above described disadvantages, there still remains a need for an inexpensive, portable, sports ball striking device that maintains the feel of an untethered ball when struck but which also provides an extended hitting target to accommodate off-center hits. A further need remains for a device that provides a height-adjustable ball which retains its height once adjusted. Finally, a need remains for a striking practice device that is easily disassembled and assembled for replacement of the components of the assembly, e.g., replacement of the ball and the tether.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a sports ball striking training device that may configured to accept a variety of sports balls.
It is another advantage to provide a sports ball striking training device that provides a rigid or semi-rigid sleeve that acts as an extension of the sports ball for off-center strikes by the user.
Still another advantage is to provide a sports ball striking training device having a threadable cord assembly and a sports ball insert that allows the sports ball to be replaced or substituted.
It is yet another advantage to provide a ball insert device that provides a channel for a cord in the sports ball and which strengthens the sports ball for extended life/play.
It is still another advantage to provide a cam end piece which allows the cord to be released from the end piece for easy threading/re-threading of the cord through the rigid sleeve and sports ball or replacement sports ball.
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention a sports ball striking training device is mountable on a substantially vertical object, such as a tree or pole, and simulates an opponent who is throwing, pitching, or returning a sports ball towards the user. The sports ball striking training device includes a conventional sports ball, a ball insert in the sports ball to provide a channel for a tether, a rigid or semi-rigid sleeve having two channel portions for accepting the tether, and strap assemblies for attaching the tether ends to a pole. The user strikes the sports ball causing the sports ball, sleeve and tether to wind around the pole. The ball reverses direction to unwind from the pole once the tether, sleeve and ball have wrapped completely around the pole. The tether and sleeve maintain the height of the sports ball such that the sports ball unwinds from around the pole to return to the same position from where it was struck by the user.
The sleeve of the exemplary embodiment of the sports ball striking training device consists of an elongated body having two channels for the tether and two arms extending from the elongated body that wrap at least partially around opposite sides of the sports ball. A hole is formed in the arms so that the tether is threadable through a path which includes the first channel of the rigid sleeve, a hole of the first arm, the channel through the ball, the hole of the second arm, and the second channel of the rigid sleeve. The tether suspends the sports ball between the arms of the rigid sleeve. The rigid sleeve acts to extend the hitting area of a ball for instances that the user strikes off-center on the ball. The rigid sleeve also prevents the striking instrument, such as a racquet or a bat, from getting entangled with the tether.
The rigid sleeve of the exemplary embodiment is manufactured to accept specific sports balls including baseballs, softball, tennis balls, racquet balls, hand balls, soccer balls, etc., by dimensioning the width between the sleeve arms to be slightly larger than the subject sports ball. Alternatively, the rigid sleeve may be configured to accept a variety of different diameter/circumference balls by providing inserts between the ball and the sleeve arms. In another embodiment, the sleeve arms are width-adjustable to accept balls of various widths. The sleeve is adjustable along the tether to allow the ball striking height to be adjusted. To raise the height of the ball, the upper tether is shortened, and to lower the height of the ball, the upper tether is lengthen by simply pulling the tether through the sleeve and ball. In the exemplary embodiment, the sleeve and ball channels are minimally larger than the tether so that frictional forces on the tether keep it from slipping in the sleeve and changing the ball height.
The exemplary embodiment of the sports ball striking training device utilizes a ball insert to form a channel through the ball for accepting the tether. Repeated striking of the eventually break down the ball, i.e., the ball loses its shape and the ball""s performance declines. The addition of a channel that simply is drilled through the ball accelerates this break down. Specifically, the channel will collapse with repeated strikes of the ball, and the tether no longer freely slides through the ball. The ball insert of the exemplary embodiment not only extends the life of the sports ball, but also ensures that the tether remains slidable through the ball for purposes of adjusting the ball height and replacing the ball. The ball insert of the exemplary consists of a first portion for insertion into a first end of the ball channel, and a second portion for insertion into a second end of the ball channel. The first and second ball insert portions together may extend the length of the ball channel, or alternatively, may extend a less distance into the ball from either end of the channel. The first and second portions of the ball insert include a small lip to prevent the ball insert from slipping inside the ball during manufacture and/or during use of the sports ball striking training device. In another embodiment, for a single piece ball insert for use with a hollow core ball, the lip portion is utilized to seal the ball.
The strap assembly of the exemplary embodiment includes a strap that connects the sports ball striking training device to a vertical object, and end pieces that attach the ends of the tether to the strap. The strap of the exemplary embodiment is a nylon-based strap with velcro fasteners that may be wrapped tightly around the vertical object. The end piece of the exemplary embodiment is a self-cinching cam which accepts an end of the tether. To replace the sports ball, the tether is released from the cam and pulled through the first channel and arm of the sleeve and through the sports ball. The tether is threaded through the replacement ball, the arm and first channel of the sleeve and locked into the self-clinching end piece. The tether of the exemplary embodiment is made from a material that is elastic, but which maintains sufficient rigidity that allows the tether to be thread through the sleeve and sports ball.
In an alternate exemplary embodiment, at least one of the straps has an attached openable clasp. The openable clasp accepts an end piece that has an hole which hooks/inserts into the openable clasp. The end piece is slightly larger in diameter than the tether. In the alternate exemplary embodiment, the sleeve channels and ball insert are manufactured to have a larger diameter which allows the tether and end piece to thread through the sleeve and ball. In one embodiment, a polyurethane tubing is placed over the center section of the tether, that is, the section of the tether that runs through the sleeve and ball. The increase in diameter of the tether due to the tubing provides a tighter fit, and prevents the tether from slipping in the sleeve. In, another embodiment, rubber grommets adjacent the ball channel ends provide points with reduced diameters along the tether path which aid in preventing the tether from slipping.
The sleeve of the exemplary embodiment may be used alone with other tether/cord-type striking devices to improve the functionality of the striking devices by extending the striking area for off-center strikes of the sports ball. Similarly, the ball insert may be used to improve the performance of the sports balls used with other tether/cord-type striking devices. The use of xe2x80x9clow profilexe2x80x9d or self-cinching cams at the ends of the tether facilitates replacement of components of the striking training devices.